


A Compromise

by tabbytabbytabby



Series: Game of Thrones Season 8 [17]
Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Post-Episode: s08e05 The Bells, Season/Series 08
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-08 06:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18888925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: After the fall of King’s Landing Arya finds herself at Storm’s End.





	A Compromise

**Author's Note:**

> I started this last week but it’s taken me far too long to get it done. Still, I made myself finish it before the episode. Because who the hell knows what’s going to happen tonight?

Arya feels numb. After watching the King’s Landing fall and barely making it out alive it’s hard to feel anything. She’d had a moment of relief when she saw Jon aive, but that had been short lived once she saw him standing next to the Dragon Queen. Even after what she did Jon was still loyal. 

Arya doesn’t go back to Winterfell. She knows she’ll have to eventually but she can’t bring herself to. Instead she rides, hoping that maybe if she rides far enough it will chase away all the thoughts that haunt her.

It’s not until finds herself in the Storm Lands that she realizes she might have had a destination in mind after all. Storm’s End stands tall and proud in front of her and Arya can’t help but smile. She thinks of the last time she saw Gendry and sighs. Any other girl would have said yes to him. But she’s never been any other girl and she’s never wanted the life of a lady.

But she does want him. It just didn’t seem fair to tell him that knowing she planned to leave. He deserved better than that.

Now as she rides her horse towards the stables all she can think about is finding him. No one really spares her a glance as she dismounts and ties her horse up. At least not until she leaves and starts walking towards the castle.

“Can I help you?” a man asks to her as she goes to pass by.

“I’m looking for Lord Gendry,” she tells him.

The man nods his head to his left, “He’s in there.”

She nods her thanks and starts in the direction he told her. 

It’s the forge, she realizes as she steps through the doors. It’s mostly empty now. Except for Gendry. His back is to her as he works. She watches as he holds up a hammer as he turns around, a pleased smile on his face.

She knows the moment he spots her. The hammer falls from his hand with a loud clunk, and then he’s rushing towards her. He stops a few feet away, his hands raised, but he doesn’t touch her.

“I should have known you’d be in the forge,” she says. She smiles but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

“It’s the one place I’m comfortable,” he admits.

She’s not the least bit surprised by that. He’s spent most of his life working in a forge. It’s going to take a lot more than being made a lord to take that away from him.

“I was worried,” he says, his voice quiet as he takes another step towards her. “I knew you went to King’s Landing, and when I heard the city was destroyed…”

He breaks off and closes his eyes. Arya notices his hands are shaking and realizes how much he has to be holding back. For her. Because he doesn’t want to do anything she doesn’t want.

Arya closes the distance between them and steps into his arms. He tenses a moment before his arms come around her. Feeling him this close, hearing his heart beating steadily in his chest, breaks something in her. Something that has been close to breaking for a long time now.

She feels hot tear spilling down her cheeks but makes no move to wipe them away. She’s tired of hiding. Of not allowing herself to feel things. It might have kept her focused, but she’s never really been allowed to mourn all she’s lost. Not in the way she should.

As soon as her thoughts drift to her parents and Robb she starts crying harder. Her hands clutch tightly at Gendry’s back as if it’s a life line. It’s the only thing keeping her from floating away.

“Shh,” he whispers, running his hands down her back. “I’ve got you. I’m here. You’re safe.”

She knows that she is. To think she almost gave this up. She buries her face in his shirt as sobs continue to wrack her body. She’s not sure how long she cries before she starts to settle. The tears stop gradually, turning into sniffles. But she still doesn’t move back. Not yet.

“I’m sorry,” she says, her voice hoarse from crying.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” he tells her.

“I left you,” she says. She pulls back to look at him. 

He smiles softly and brushes the tears from her cheeks. “You did what you had to do. If anyone should be apologizing, it’s me.”

“What for?”

“I knew you didn’t want the life of a lady,” Gendry says. “It was unfair of me to ask. I was just so happy. I thought that maybe now I could be someone worthy if you.”

She swats at his arm, and he pulls it back, looking at her in confusion. “What was that for?”

“You were always worthy of me,” Arya says. “I didn’t fall for you because you were a lord. I fell for you because you’re you. You’ve always known who I am, and you’ve accepted me.”

“I’d never want you to change,” Gendry tells her.

She smiles. Her first smile in days. “I think we might be able to work out a compromise.”

He raises an eyebrow in question, “What sort of compromise.”

“I’m no lady,” she tells him. “But I do love you and want to be with you.”

Gendry smiles, his hands coming back up to rest on her cheeks. “I love you. We don’t have to be married if you don’t want to.”

“I didn’t say that,” Arya says. “I just said I didn’t want to be a lady.”

“Then what would you be?” Gendry asks her.

“Just Arya,” she says. “Wife of Gendry Baratheon, Lord of Storm’s End. And we’re not going to stay cooped up in this castle. We need adventure.”

Gendry smiles and kisses her softly. “Deal.”

Arya rests her head on his shoulder. She doesn’t know how they got here so fast. It seems like just moments ago she was breaking in his arms. But she’s grateful for it. After everything that’s happened they both deserve a little bit of happiness. There’s no telling what’s going to come for them next. So she allows herself this moment with Gendry. Everything else could wait.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day. ♥  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


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